Chapter 15 of Alice and Beatrice is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Alice and Beatrice is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
INSTINCT OF ANIMALS. ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming? Ellen Laurence told me that they knew.’ ‘They certainly do know, I believe, my dear Alice,’ replied her grandmamma. ‘God has given animals the instinct to foresee changes of weather.’
Chapter 15 of Alice and Beatrice is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “INSTINCT OF ANIMALS.”
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “‘They certainly do know, I believe, my dear Alice,’ replied her grandmamma.”
plural of “change” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading “‘God has given animals the instinct to foresee changes of weather.’”
realize beforehand
From this reading “‘God has given animals the instinct to foresee changes of weather.’”
plural of “goose” — web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
From this reading “‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?”
inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
From this reading “INSTINCT OF ANIMALS.”
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading “‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
weather unsuitable for outdoor activities
In this reading “‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading INSTINCT OF ANIMALS.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading ‘They certainly do know, I believe, my dear Alice,’ replied her grandmamma.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading ‘They certainly do know, I believe, my dear Alice,’ replied her grandmamma.
plural of “change” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading ‘God has given animals the instinct to foresee changes of weather.’
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
dearly loved
From this reading ‘They certainly do know, I believe, my dear Alice,’ replied her grandmamma.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading ‘They certainly do know, I believe, my dear Alice,’ replied her grandmamma.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ellen Laurence told me that they knew.’
realize beforehand
From this reading ‘God has given animals the instinct to foresee changes of weather.’
plural of “goose” — web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading ‘God has given animals the instinct to foresee changes of weather.’
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading ‘God has given animals the instinct to foresee changes of weather.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘God has given animals the instinct to foresee changes of weather.’
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading ‘They certainly do know, I believe, my dear Alice,’ replied her grandmamma.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘They certainly do know, I believe, my dear Alice,’ replied her grandmamma.
inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
From this reading INSTINCT OF ANIMALS.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Ellen Laurence told me that they knew.’
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ellen Laurence told me that they knew.’
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading ‘They certainly do know, I believe, my dear Alice,’ replied her grandmamma.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading INSTINCT OF ANIMALS.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading ‘They certainly do know, I believe, my dear Alice,’ replied her grandmamma.
express in words
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Ellen Laurence told me that they knew.’
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Ellen Laurence told me that they knew.’
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ‘God has given animals the instinct to foresee changes of weather.’
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Ellen Laurence told me that they knew.’
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
at the time that
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘GRANDMAMMA, will you tell me,’ asked Alice one day, ‘how the geese can know when bad weather is coming?
Chapter 15 of Alice and Beatrice by Grandmamma holds 63 sentences, grouped into 13 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 15 holds 63 sentences of Alice and Beatrice, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Alice and Beatrice by Grandmamma exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 63 sentences, grouped into 13 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Alice and Beatrice by Grandmamma on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1040 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67511 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #67511, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 86 minutes of reading across 208 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Alice and Beatrice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Alice and Beatrice to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Alice and Beatrice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
